KINGDOM RACING PIGEON ASSOCIATION

by Stuart Bowman

Hi there again folks. Had a good time on holiday in the Canaries and everything is back to normal again. Don’t think there are too many fanciers on the island of Fuerteventura. However I did see some 60 spectacular white racers in a village known as Vila Verde in amungst the hills. There were a few lofts there and they looked like something from the shanty towns, however the climate is good so who cares, the birds looked healthy and happy to me. Managed to lose some cases on the way home, but eventually had them returned about 5 days later via London Gatwick. In all about 30 cases were missing, all due to the strikes at the time. Every time I go on holiday it’s an adventure, but never mind, all's well that ends well!  Hope everyone had a good start to the new year.

Whilst I was away I had a letter from Matt Shields, St. Serfs Pro with the trophy winners list for 2007. Starting from the bottom and working up to the top we had the following fanciers collecting prize money. John Methven, Stevie Ritchie, Ian Hopkins, Bob Blyth, Jackie Wishart. Followed by Alistair Birkett with the Huntingdon Trophy. Then Rab Purdie, Davie Burns, and Dod Harley in that order. Sandy Proctor won £66 prize money, the Reims cup, Wakefield y.b trophy and the Y.B Ave. Jim Anderson won £143, Longest inland trophy from Wanstead Flats, Longest OB race race trophy from Portsmouth, the OB Ave, and was runner up highest prize winner.

J. Wishart (left) with J Proctor.

Matt Shields was top prize winner with the best Ave in the club from the 3 Association Open races, the Combined Ave and £37. Another Special Presentation took place at the end of all this when John Proctor was gifted a Trophy by the members in recognition of his 1st Open Tours Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club with his good Grizzle cock Lucky Jim, Only bird on the day into Scotland! You can see John accepting this from his life long friend Jackie Wishart. Also included is Matt Shields collecting his awards from Chris Buster Brown. Many thanks to Matt for the details of his club's prize winners and the very best of luck to the St. Serfs members for the 2008 season.

Chris 'Buster' Brown (left) with M. Shields.

Also while I was away a couple of photos and a letter came in from Benny Martin wondering if I would mind giving someone a little credit with a mention in the BHW. Of course I will, I’m all for giving people credit especially when they deserve it! This is a copy of the letter sent to the Cumbria Region by Benny, and it goes like this.

'Dear Secy, I would like to Nominate Miss Mary Thomson as a candidate for Young Fancier of the Year in the Cumbria Region. Mary, aged 14, got the attraction for pigeons when as a youngster the local fanciers in Lesmahagow would take her along with them training, and allow her to handle and release the pigeons to race home. This always fascinated young Mary and she never lost the love of pigeons.

About 3 or 4 years ago Mary started to go about Jim Hamilton's loft in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Jim himself was a first class fancier but had lost a lot of keenness due mainly to the fact he was having major problems with his old knees. Mary saw this and offered to help in the loft by scraping out and feeding the birds plus many other chores that needed doing. Jim had to have both knee joints replaced and Mary just simply took over the complete job of running the whole loft and excelled herself in this!

Secy J. Nelson presents Mary Thomson with the Cumbria Region Young Fancier Of The Year Award.

Thankfully Jim himself is able to get about a bit now and is feeling better. Jim was so impressed by the way Mary had looked after the loft and birds that he decided to ask Mary if she would like to become his flying partner. Mary agreed and, believe me, he feels honoured! Young Mary herself has brought a very pleasant atmosphere to the club and all our members are so appreciative of her and what she does for the club! Mary will do any job in the club from selling raffle tickets to ringing birds, and now she’s on the sheet at race marking and clock checking. For the present time it is done under supervision, but not for long as this girl has the ability and potential to do anything and will go to the top in this sport in time! She is the keenest and most willing to learn new start that I have come across in my 53 years in the sport! At the start of the 2007 season our members decided that the container we use for our club premises was badly in need of a coat of paint. There was little Mary yet again there with paint brush and roller doing more than her fair share.

I should also like to mention she brings flasks of tea and coffee with biscuits and goodies for the members on race nights! “What a girl”!!!

If Mary were fortunate enough to win the Young Fancier of the year award, I’m sure she would be greatly honored and a real credit to our sport and the Award itself!

Yours faithfully B. Martin, Secy Larkhall South RPC.'

Thanks Benny, there you have it ladies and gentlemen, what about that for a young fancier! After a while when things were decided, lo and behold Mary did eventually win the Cumbria Region Young Fancier Of The Year Award. Congratulations Mary!!!  This is fantastic news and I’m sure will give her a boost and a good start for the 2008 season. It’s great to see young fanciers get some credit. All to often these days some young fanciers are poo hood and put to the side they should be encouraged from the start. It’s great how these South Lanarkshire fanciers have taking her under their wing so to speak. Young Mary Thomson is a credit to the sport, and no one can begrudge someone like this winning something, she thoroughly deserves it! The sport could do with a lot more like her, for at the moment to many think only of themselves and it’s high time we all looked in the mirror to see if we can do more for our club or fellow fancier.

I’m very pleased to have received this letter from you Benny as it highlights something positive in the sport, and an absolute gem in young Mary Thomson. How badly do we need some young blood in this sport. The more positives the better, and let's be honest, there are not to many of them at the moment. Unless someone has been pulling the wool over your eyes!

Next time I’m in the Lanarkshire area I may give you a call Benny and arrange a visit to Jim Hamilton and Cumbria’s young fancier of the year. Or maybe in July/Aug you would like to pay me a visit with Jim and Mary.

My oldest daughter Danielle 15 at the moment also likes the pigeons, sometimes too much, as I have to hide the peanuts. She also is a great help to me with pictures on the computer for the SNRPC website and BHW. Any little thing I know about doing stuff for the press etc, I have basically learnt from her, from scratch. It’s easier now than it was back in the early 90s when I used to write it out and send it by post. Now you just have to get a little quicker with the typing. It’s also neat and tidier than before and helps the staff a little at Welshpool. Dani, as she is also known, sometimes goes with me to the club house at Rosyth, that’s  if there’s any room in the car as her sisters and little brother sometimes want to go. Will any of them ever take up racing on their own? I don’t know but it would be nice if one of them would!

Not much happening in my own loft at the moment. I have now got the birds thinned down a bit as they were too fat, probably the worst they have ever been. I should still be able to get some of them ready for pairing in February. They haven’t been out since the 1st or 2nd week in Sept, and I’m dreading it when I do as this is when the Sparrow hawk appears! It will be a case of cleaning out first then some out for exercise and then straight in when they are a little hungry. They probably won’t get there open loft until end of April or start of May. I find the period before that real hard as you can’t get them out the same and they need a certain amount of exercise before training starts. What can I do?

A group of fanciers after the Cumbria Region AGM.

Round O

I would here like to congratulate Round O alias Jim George on being voted as the winner of the AR Bowes Trophy! Does he deserve it? You bet he does for he’s been scribing for the Homing World and assisting fanciers all over the UK since before I was put on God's earth! Hearty congratulations Jim, you are a worthy winner.

Reminder

Just thought I would remind readers that the AGM of the Scottish National Racing Pigeon Club will take place at Loanhead Miners Welfare at 12 noon, on Sat 9th Feb. Plenty to discuss here, particularly the race programme and dates, please be assured that the committee are giving this their full attention and are trying their very best during today’s sometimes difficult and changeable circumstances ie – Transportation, Ferrying, diesel costs, Defra etc. The Committee would like to see as many members as possible there where your full attention and assistance would be greatly appreciated. The more the merrier see you there. Also hope everyone has a great night as usual at the SNRPC Presentation on 26th Jan, at the Cairn hotel Bathgate, always a night to remember!!!

J. King, 1st Sect C Falaise 2005, and P. Patrick 1st Sect C Cholet 2005 at the SNRPC Dinner 2005, with their medals.

Kingdom Racing Pigeon Association members can expect our AGM to be just a few weeks after the SNRPC. One or two interesting things also to be discussed here. So again the more the merrier. Hope fanciers enjoy going down to Blackpool again this year, although I’m not going this year I still miss it. No doubt I will here all the main stories of who got a bargain and bought a champ etc when you all arrive back home! Until then take care. If any one wants to send in their clubs prizewinner list in or anything else I’ll be only too pleased to include it when I can. Send it to Stuart Bowman 118 Sinclair Drive Cowdenbeath Fife KY4-9RG, Tel 01383-518471, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

20/1/08